Poetry Friday is with Carol at Carol’s Corner.
In my Inbox, I found this prompt from Poets and Writers:
| In his 1821 essay “A Defence of Poetry,” Percy Bysshe Shelley writes, “Poetry is…the perfect and consummate surface and bloom of all things; it is as the odor and the color of the rose to the texture of the elements which compose it….” Make a list of words and phrases that describe the surface textures, odors, and colors that surround you as this year draws to an end, choosing the details that are most evocative of the season. You may find yourself drawing inspiration from the contrasting primary colors of holiday cheer, bright puffy parkas or dark wool coats, the shiny prints and textures of patterned gift wrap, the stark tones of snow, or the scents of fragrant conifers and baked desserts. Write a trio of poems, each focusing on one type of sensory input. Select an element–setting, narrator’s voice, repeated words, or a specific object–that stays constant through all three, tying them together. |
I was relaxing at my daughter’s house in New Orleans after a long, amazing, yet tiring weekend at NCTE. The mowers came to mow the median. And this poem emerged.
I.
Even in November
mowers hum,
chopping remains of green,
throwing dust to the wind.My soul prepares
for the cold,
curled up in a blanket,
wearing wool socks.This cooling of air
this crisping of leaves, grass, my toes
gives space for new growth
prepares for seeds to flower.II
When I hear
mower sounds,
wind playing its violin,I turn my ear–
Listen.III
I see black faces
of the mowers earnestly
getting the job done.
Do they take pride
in their mowing?Do they take their families
for a ride later,
drive by the median
on Carrollton Avenue,
point to the grass,
and say, “I did that!” ?Do any of us
see the lawn of our lives
as beauty
we have created?–Margaret Simon
Reflections on the Teche 